Snap-in type fasteners are well known in the art and are useful for securing objects such as trim to a panel such as a vehicular body panel.
Examples of snap-in type fasteners adapted for threaded engagement with a threaded member and assigned to the assignee of the present invention are respectively disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,108,239; 4,606,688; and 4,595,325, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Example of snap-in type fasteners not adapted for threaded engagement with a threaded member and assigned to the assignee of the present invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,036,567 and 4,683,622, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Another example of a snap-in fastener adapted for engagement with a threaded member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,517, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
An advantage of the snap-in fastener of the present invention is the provision of one or more prongs adapted to penetrate and inhibit rotation of the object to be secured to the panel relative the fastener as well as having a pair of resilient fingers having respective tabs adapted to lockingly secure the fastener to a panel or the like in combination with respective free-ends adapted so as not to engage a threaded member securing the object to the fastener.
The fingers of snap-in fastener are further preferably provided with a cross-section contoured to cause the fingers to flatten as they are pressed into an opening in a panel or the like to which the fastener is to be secured and then resume their original contoured configuration upon being lockingly secured thereto by the tabs.